Indian Ridge Playground
24 Cuba Street
Andover, MA 01810
Directions: From 133 East, turn right on Shawsheen Road. Travel approximately 1 mile, just past Andover High School and West Middle School on your right, turn right onto Cuba Street (this is a one way street). The playground is situated on the right side of the street of this very residential road.
Date/Time Visited: 5/27/21, 10-11am
Bathrooms: None
Parking: 5 spaces
Shade: Significant tree coverage
Benches/Tables: 2 picnic tables
Additional Features: Water Bottle Filling Station
Rebuilt just last year, the Indian Ridge Playground is a small community park situated between homes on Cuba Street in Andover. This was our first visit, though I had driven past the park pre-renovations and remember making a mental note to avoid the metal slides and old style teeter totters. Luckily, all scorching metal slides and other hazards have been totally removed to make room for a woodland themed climbing apparatus, a wooden tepee like structure with acorn shaped stools situated nearby, and a double decker spinning globe. There is also a two person swing, basketball area with three hoops and four square court, and a paved walking track around the park marked with footprints of various local animals.
My daughters (3 years old and 14 months old) and I visited on a Thursday at about 10am. The weather was brutally hot but we all needed a change of scenery and ventured out anyway. While the parking spaces were all full except for the one that I managed to get, we were the only ones at the park. Mature trees provide significant shade to the playground which allowed us to comfortably stay and play for over an hour. The water bottle filling station is a nice, welcomed touch especially for hot days like the one we were having although it is not currently operational (I imagine due to COVID restrictions).
Because we were the only family there, my three year old had all of the playground equipment to herself which had some pros and cons for a first visit. She was able to try out the things she felt comfortable with (the staircase leading to the slides, spinning globe, and swings), but was a bit timid to go near some of the more challenging elements (rock wall with climbing rope, ladders, and ropes course style climber). Had other kids been there too I feel she would have watched them approach these elements and may have been a bit more comfortable trying them out herself. With my close supervision and a little help up, she was able to maneuver the rock wall but found some of the other climbing elements a bit “too big!”.
The tepee like structure became a stage for an imaginative performance for her little sister and the two person swing was sturdy enough for me to sit on while holding my younger daughter with her sister on the other side facing us. The ground underneath the climbing structures is rubber like and a great landing pad for either safe jumps off of the equipment or for an early walker like my younger daughter.
We really enjoyed our morning at this park and will definitely be back. The only trash bin is located just outside the park itself and I did notice a little bit of trash scattered around so as a gentle reminder to us all, keep an eye out for juice boxes flying out of strollers or little hands who might drop something as they can’t contain their excitement of trying a new slide.
Thank you to reader Meghan Murphy for submitting this information about the Indian Ridge Playground in Andover! If you would like to learn about how to become a contributing writer and get paid to share useful information for local parents, please email Barbara at barbarae@macaronikid.com.
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